Thirds to david stewart and charles j



(No Model.)

W. ASSHETO-N. MANIPOLDING AUTOGRAPHIG TABLET.

No. 551,706. 7 Patented Dec. 17, 1895.

Ti 1- 5 e 5 m k W. i i J .{Im I p T WITNESSES l-' INVEN'T'DFQ ATT 0 RN EY e V H w' \VlLLlAM ASSl-IETON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF TXVO- THIRDS TO DAVID STEWART AND PLACE.

CHARLES J. CARROLL, OF SAME MANIFOLDING AUTOGRAPHIC TABLET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,706, dated December 17, 1895.

Application filed December 8, 1894. Serial No. 531,172. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ASSHETON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Manifoldin g Autographic Tablets, of which the following is a specification.

"My invention relates to a manifolding autographic tablet designed for use in stores and other places to produce a plural number of copies of a check, bill-head, or ticket from a single strip of paper at one writing.

The object of the invention is to provide a case and mechanism which will enable the use of a large number of blank checks, billheads, or tickets in the form of a single continuous strip of paper which is primarily folded in the form of a flat pile. The tablet complete is in form similar to a book, which makes it suitable and convenient for a person to carry in his coat-pocket.

The drawings herewith illustrate my invention.

Figure l is a perspective view of the complete machine with paper in position. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section of same, showing the paper pile inclosed in the holder. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the machine.

The letter A designates the platen which constitutes the top surface of the inclosing case or chamber B. One end of this case has a door 19, secured by hinges b at the bottom. At the same end of the case or platen are three cross-rollers e f g, mounted in bearings. One of these rollers (denoted g) is to reverse the direction of the paper, and the other two, 9 f, are guide-rollers. The guideroller fis mounted at the top corner of the case or rear end of the platen, and, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the free edge 19 of the door I) closes against this roller. Spring-hinges act on the door to press it closed and cause the said free edge 11 to press against the roller f. The strip h of paper is drawn out through the crack or slot between the door-edge b and the roller. The spring-pressed door thus serves as a tension device acting on the strip of paper while it is being drawn from the folded pile. At the other end of the inclosing case or front end of the platen are two rollers i j, one of which is a guide and the other a reversing roller.

The strip h of paper may be of any desired length suitable for a large number of blanks, and has crosswise perforated lines or partlycut lines equidistant from each other, so that the paper space between the cross-lines may be a blank, either printed or plain, to serve as a bill-head, check, or ticket. The crosswise perforations or cuts serve, as such cuts usually do, to facilitate the separation of the paper strip and allow the blank checks or tickets to be detached. The paper strip is primarily folded backward and forward to form successive layers with a crease 2' at each end. Each succeeding layer is piled fiat upon the last previous layer and the several layers form a pile H.

It will be seen that the case which holds the paper pile is broad in one direction and thin in the transverse direction like a book, and is thus in small compact shape suitable to be carried inthe coat-pocket.

The end of the strip of folded paper proj ects from the chamber and to produce triplicate copies is placed or threaded into the rollers of the machine as follows: The paper first passes over the guide-roller f and along the top surface of the platen A to the guideroller 1'. This forms the first stretch h of paper or one blank. Over this first stretch is placed a piece of carbon-paper m. (Indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 by broken lines.) This carbon-paper is held at one side only or laterally from the line in which the paper strip his folded. The paper strip passes down between the guideroller e and the reversing-roller then up and over this latter roller and back over the platen and of course over the said carbon paper m, then under the reversing-roller g. Thus the second stretch k is formed. Another piece of carbon-paper m is placed over said second stretch, and finally the strip of paper passes up and over the said reversing-roller g, then down under the guide-roller e, and again forward above the platen and of course over the second carbon-paper m This forms the third stretch h the end n of which has position under the holding-bar or cutter-bar i", which is pivoted at the front end and extends across the platen.

The carbon'papers m m are wider than the strip of paper employed and are held at one side only of the platen by a spring-clamp p. This clamp comprises a hinged bar 19 secured by spring-hinges q. The entire length of the bar presses the carbon-paper along one edge and holds the same in the manner of a clamp.

After the paper strip has been once placed or threaded through the rollers as described, and the carbon-papers placed in position, this operation need not be repeated again as long as the strip continues to be supplied or as long as the carbon-paper is fit to use. \Vhcn a transaction has been noted in writing on the top stretch of paper by means of a pencil, each of the other stretches will contain a manifold copy of such writing, and to remove all the copies from the machine it is only necessary to grasp the terminal end it of the single strip of paper and pull forward longitudinally of the platen until the several manifold copies have passed the bar r. This withdrawal of the written copies from the machine at the same time draws more paper from the single strip in the flat pile and thus supplies fresh stretches of paper above the platen in readiness for any writing that may be desired. It will be seen that as the carbon-paper is held at one side only of the tablet while its opposite side is free or unattached, it does not bind or restrict the drawing of the paper stretches in a direction lengthwise of the tablet. \Vhen a single strip of paper thus stretched twice or three times over a platen is being withdrawn, the effect is that one of the stretches, as h, will be moving in the opposite direction from the next adjoining stretch, as 71. and the consequence of this oppositemovement is that a piece of carbon-paper between two such oppositely-mow in g stretches will be unmoved or undisturbed because the frictional pull in one direction 'on. the upper side of the carbon-paper will be counterbalanced or offset by a like pull in the opposite direction 011 the lower side of the carbon-paper. Hence the carbon-paper used in this machine readily keeps its place. This construction of machine and mode of operation insure that the single continuous strip of writing-paper and the carbon-paper is always sct in readiness for use, and there is no necessity for readjusting the carbon-paper each time the written copies are withdrawn.

Each transaction noted 011 the top stretch of paper thus arranged on the tablet shown in Figs. 1 and 2 will produce three copies at one writing.

It is obvious that if the lowermost carbonpaper in be omitted only two copies will be produced.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an autographic manifolding tablet, the combination of a case having a chamber and aplaten; a roller, f, across at one end of the case and substantially in line with the platen; and a spring-pressed door at the same end as the roller and giving access to said chamber and having its free edge pressing against said roller-the space between the said free edge of the door and the roller serving as a slot for the withdrawal of the paper.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM ASSUETON. lVitnesses:

CHARLES E. MANN, Jr. (1. ("ALVERT I'Imns. 

